Thirty Seconds Can Change Everything
by Chronicles of Lewis
Summary: Thirty seconds can be very long sometimes. Long enough to work a miracle or a revolution. In thirty seconds life changed wholly for Barney and Valancy Snaith. -L.M. Montgomery, beginning of Chapter 35 **Do not read this until you have read the original book** Narrated from Barney's point of view.
1. Chapter 1

_Thirty seconds can be very long sometimes. Long enough to work a miracle or a revolution. In thirty seconds life changed wholly for Barney and Valancy Snaith._

Today was one of those days that Barney had secretly hoped might never end, until this moment. Since Valancy Stirling Snaith had become his closest friend and wife in marriage, these days were becoming more frequent until almost every blessed, amusing, revealing, trying and wonderful day and night ran together for him.

Valancy had accompanied him that afternoon on their motorized boat across the lake to where a stream inlet took them deeper into the woods. Barney cast-out a fishing line in the creek while Valancy told him stories from the book that she had brought along. She spoke very softly so as not to scare the fish in the stream. He liked the way that her voice carried as lightly as the wind around them. After an hour or so, they tied their boat up to an oak and began walking toward Port Lawrence.

"Oh, dear!"

Valancy paused behind him.

"Be careful, there are little pine cone devils afoot in these woods, Moonlight. They love for ladies with pretty ankles who wear high heel city shoes to go walking in their lair." he teased.

"These were my favorite shoes, it was the first frivolous purchase that I had ever made on my own." She did not share in his lighthearted amusement.

"They are attractive at home yet I must say, they're ridiculous in these back woods. I honestly don't know how you can keep up with me in those heels sometimes."

"The heel of this shoe has broken-in." Valancy explained.

"Can you walk like that?" Barney took hold of her hand.

"Yes, although not for very long."

"I'll get you a new pair of shoes that are more suitable for this ground while we're at the Port."

"Are you sure that you can afford to get them now?"

His laughter had a sarcastic edge.

"You're not to worry about it. Can you make do without your favorite hiking heels from now on?" He joked as he led her on through the woods.

They came out of the forest and crossed the tracks near the train depot and walked-on for several minutes before reaching Port Lawrence. They ate a late lunch al fresco on the sidewalk of a cafe. Barney left her at the shoe store and went to fetch a few needed items at the general store. By the time he had returned, she had selected a pair of shoes that were attractive to look at although no more practical than the others. They were high laced boots with a narrow heel. She adored them.

"My girl, you've gone and found another brilliant selection for the modern outdoors woman." He laughed even though he did admire the look of them on her.

"I think they are perfect boots. My ankles that you have an affinity for should be well protected in them."

"That they will." he agreed.

They made their way together back towards the woods. Valancy had told him that she could keep up with these new boots on although she stopped often to collect wildflowers as they crossed an open field. The sun had turned a vibrant orange on the horizon in the west. There was only the abandoned depot to pass before reentering the woods beyond. Barney was several yards ahead of Valancy. He crossed the tracks at the empty station. It reminded him of the first time that he had come to Deerwood by train so many years ago. It was late then, there was a full moon, only a couple other people were there at the station then.

The sun was still setting now. Its fiery orange glow hit a plume of smoke over the trees in the distance. He looked back to see Valancy stepping over the first rail of the tracks. She had plenty of time yet to follow him. The whistle blared and the rumble of the wheels on the rails echoed against the tree line of the forest.

"Barney—Barney!" Valancy called out with a strange unfamiliar cry in her voice.

He looked back. She had dropped her flowers and parcels on the tracks. He started to yell to her to leave them. That's when he realized what had happened. The train was bearing down on her at full speed. With the station closed, there would be no stopping. Oh, his heart sank. Her boot heel was caught between the rail and the switch mechanism. He dropped everything that he carried. He joined her on his knees at the tracks. He pulled at the boot. It would not break free. The ground vibrated and shook beneath them. The screams of the wheels against the rails combined with the sound of her sorrowful cries.

"Go—go—quick—you'll be killed, Barney!" shrieked Valancy, trying to push him away.

Barney grabbed for his pocket knife and violently cut at the laces of the boot. He could hardly rip them loose with his fingers trembling. Valancy pushed him back hard in an attempt to get him safely away from the tracks.

"Barney—go-go—for God's sake—go!"

"Never!" Barney uttered from somewhere deep within his being.

The wretched laces gave way. Barney took a hold of Valancy with an incredible amount of strength coursing through his arms. He hit the ground hard on his back with Valancy clutched to his chest. The shadow and wind from the passing train left them on the cold ground. Valancy rest her head in the crook between his shoulder and collar bone. He let his head fall back and his eyes rolled inward as he held her so tight they could have appeared as one in the dark shadows.

"Thank God!" he breathed.

He held her for what seemed like so much longer than the fleeting few seconds of reality that it was. He looked away as he helped her back up to her feet. The train continued to barrel its way past the station. Once back on their feet, Barney struggled to catch his breath. He looked at his wife now knowing that she mattered more to him than everything that he had ever known, ever experienced, would ever be united to in spirit, mind and body. He had almost lost her. Every since they had been together, he was losing her. He loved her desperately, there was no more denying it to himself. When her heart ceases, he knew now that so would his. She was staring at him with wild frightened eyes. He knew that his own eyes must be a mirror of that expression.

The train neared its end as they walked together on shaky legs to the station's bench. Barney collapsed there and let his face fall into his hands. That terrifying scene in his mind intermingled with so many precious memories they had shared over the past year. _I can't lose her now_ , his mind reeled over and over. She was so silent next to him. He was speechless and motionless as his mind tried to catch-up with what had occurred ever since she became a part of his life.

When he had the strength again, he rose up and fixed his eyes on the only remnant left of the boot, a jagged scrap of the heel still jammed in the rail. He couldn't take his eyes away from it.

"I suppose we'd better be hiking back. Sun's getting low. Are you good for the rest of the road?"

"I think so." Her voice echoed in his ears.

He picked-up the packages that he had dropped. Among them, was another pair of shoes. He took them out of the box and gave them to her to wear. He stared into the darkness of the trees as she took off the left boot and put on the other shoes.

Together, they walked in silence back to the boat. Barney was stunned and speechless as the realization of everything that Valancy meant to him took over. She was quiet too. She need not feel embarrassed about her shoe selection or predicament. Barney wanted to reach out to her although so many barriers that he had built up were being shattered around him. The worst was knowing that he was running out of time with her fast. It had been well over a year already since she had shared her sorrowful news with that letter from the doctor.

The lake was beautiful at night with the lights of homes and campfires on the water's edge. How they had shared so many peaceful times here. Only a few nights before, her eyes had sparkled by those same lights and when he confessed to her that he thought she was "too nice to be real" and that she was like a dream to him. How happy she had looked in that moment. Now, her eyes were fixed on the surface of the water, she looked very tired.

At the landing of the Blue Castle cabin, Barney took her hand to help her out of the boat. He watched her walk into the dark cabin alone. After getting the rest of the packages, he followed her inside. She had collapsed at the nearest chair. She stared straight out into the night. Barney couldn't approach her yet. If he did, he might lose his composure and overwhelm her with a flood of passionate confessions all at once. He did take command of his voice long enough to ask how she was.

"Are you feeling weak? Can I get you anything?"

"No."

Her voice was so small. The blood was coursing through his veins he couldn't keep calm being so near to her. He had to get away to give her time to rest.

Barney left their cabin and crossed the yard to the lean-to that she had creatively named 'Bluebeard's Chamber'. He shut the door with tremendous force and lit a small lamp. He had to release this energy somehow.

"I can't lose her now." He said only once aloud yet that thought in his mind stayed on a repeating reel.

He paced back and forth. Thoughts of trying to survive after having her in his life intermingled with memories, looks, quotes from his own writing, laughter and sweet intimate moments. He was forced to realize how deeply he had fallen for this woodland spirit in the form of his wife. He had never thought that he could feel this kind of passion for anyone in his life.


	2. Moving Forward Into the Unknown

_This chapter is dedicated to Laura Schiller, Kay and Miss Anly, thank you for your kind reviews and encouragement to keep going with this story._

Hours later, Barney was fatigued by raw emotion. He came back to the cabin and laid down next to Valancy to rest. He could not sleep. Somehow he knew through their bond that she wasn't asleep either. So many memories played through his mind including recollections of when her health was weak. The real pain that reflected in her jade colored eyes. The memory of his dear friend Cissy, what she had endured in her last days. He could no longer bear to agonize over thoughts of Valancy going through that, of her not being there with him.

Barney rested in a fitful sleep for just a couple of hours before dawn. The most dreadful dreams haunted his subconscious. In one, he was alone in the woods yet he could hear her melodic sweet laughter on the wind. When he ran against it's force to find her. She was never there. Another dream was even worse. Valancy had been told by a librarian that her husband was the famous author of the books that she loved so much. She was embarrassed by how many times that she had revealed her deep adoration of him. She was also outraged at him for keeping such an important secret. She was tearing out the pages of each book and leaving them on their cabin floor. When he touched her shoulder, she began to cry out pearls, like her necklace instead of tears. Barney awoke with a solitary tear escaping his own eye. She was sleeping beside him. He got up and prepared to go into the wilderness alone for a while.

All the restless passion of the night before had drained him of any emotion on this foggy gray morning. With a spirit that was dulled into a numb state, he left their island and paddled the small canoe over to the shore of the lake. He aimed to take to the woods not knowing or caring which direction his heart pulled him to go. His heart, if only he could trade places so that she could live on instead. She deserved it for what her life had been like before and for the amazing spirit of life that he had come to know in her now.

As the small boat reached the water's edge, Barney leapt out and pulled it up on the embankment. His steps fell heavy and fast as he took a path that led deep into the upback woods. No more pacing in the lonely lean-to on the island, now there was only moving forward into the unknown. His bride was not well. That letter was like a death sentence upon her. Time was running out soon. His own heart was feeling the pain of that realization as it beat at a rapid pulse to keep up with his walk. Everything that occurred at the train tracks repeated in his mind. The sight of that terrible machine bearing down on her, her face drained of all colour, that damn boot in the rail. Barney had always been a man of nature and earth. His spirit however had been denied by himself for so long because of soul-shattering events from his past. Valancy alone had restored it, he knew that the moment he felt his spirit go out of him before he rushed to her aid. He needed her more than anything that had ever mattered to him. If he couldn't save her...no they had to survive together. When he freed her from the boot and pulled her in tight to his chest, they fell hard against the ground. The pain of the rocks beneath his back was fully negated by the rapturous joy he felt to have her there with him. For the first time in his life, his spirit cried out to God with joyful thanksgiving.

Barney reached the sideways trunk of a fallen tree and dropped down upon to sit. He covered his face with his hands as he recalled what happened next. Once they were able to look upon each other, Valancy's beautiful mysterious eyes had turned wild and frightened. The sight of her brought forth a passion coming from his regained spirit. The rush of pure love left him senseless as he helped her over to a bench. For a moment, he was numb to what had just happened. She must have been as well. After regaining composure, he stood and said they should be going home. He was a fool to be silent when everything that he wanted was still beside him. He needed time and silence, the kind of silence that one can only attain when they're alone. Valancy must have felt the same way for she did not speak either.

When they were back at their island cabin, Barney wanted to know that she was all right. To hear her speak, to prove that she was really safe here at home. Valancy did reply with a tired voice that she was fine. Barney thought about saying more although a fear overtook him that if he did start to talk then perhaps he would not be able to stop and all would be revealed about himself. Could her heart take any more shocks that evening? No. He had be on his own for now to think. When they had returned to the cabin, he wanted so much to sleep next to her in peace although his mind did not allow any true rest that night. There were so many sweet moments, amusing memories and little inside jokes between them that Barney had hidden in his heart until now; Valancy's surprised innocence when he pulled away from their first kiss, her laughter, the joyful radiance of her face on the morning that he returned from the winter storm and of course the sound of her voice when she spoke with deep admiration of his own writing. It almost undid him every time, to take her within his arms and murmur into her ear some of the new writing that he was working on. After all, she had inspired some of it. His heart was still beating so fast. He knew that hers must have been to. How could she endure it given her condition? Perhaps mercy had shown them a favor.

Barney hiked on through the woods until he reached a common dirt road that was frequented more by horse and cart than automobile. A lone farmer waved 'hello' to Barney as he passed by leading a cow on a frayed hand braided rope. The farmer whistled a tune that Barney had heard Roaring Able play on the fiddle a few times in the past. Barney's mind wandered back to the days when Able and his daughter Cissy were more like a family to him than his real one had seemed. What a tight knit group the three were as they played games, traded stories and laughed into the wee hours of the morning. The silly rumours that abounded about himself and Cissy were of no account to themselves. Even though they were well liked and respected among the countryfolk, no one dared to speak to them in the polite society of town. No one else could understand or enter their family bond, that is until she came into their lives like a sunrise of hope.

She became a natural part of their little family with ease and delight. Valancy was like a mother and a sister when she looked-out for Cissy. These thoughts led Barney to a barrier that he was always quick to resist before. Valancy - a mother - a family that would be truly of their own making if it were only possible. He envisioned a child with his ceaseless curiosity to explore and her amusement with all situations. A son or a daughter that they could introduce to the world and take with them on amazing adventures across land and sea. He ached for knowing that it could never be so with his only true soulmate. She was slipping away. He was defenseless to stop it from happening.

The afternoon sun burned away all of the heavy morning fog. The wind picked-up and carried the rest of remaining mist away. The breeze reminded Barney first of Valancy's voice as she had read aloud to him the day before, then of the terrible dream that haunted his sleep and drove him to the woods upon awakening. The wounds of his past had been reopened by the girl who had laid so close to him and she didn't even know it. There was so much that she didn't know. He took out his frustrations on a jagged rock as he kicked it ahead along the pathway. A tall oak provided sun shade and a suitable place to rest. Barney settled underneath it for a brief meditation in solace. The sleep that he had missed the night before caught up to him during a blissful nap there. He dreamed again of Valancy as she was on the morning of his return from the snowstorm that she had thought was so terrible.

"Barney, do you think that Dr. Trent will be in his office today?" Valancy asked as she poured out coffee from a very steamy pot into each of their cups.

"Not likely, my dear. Doctors only come out in weather like this if it is an emergency."

She nearly slammed the coffee pot down on the table between them.

"I would really like to go today. There's something that I must do."

Valancy felt so urgent about it that she was now opening the kitchen door. Barney reached out and caught her arm. That is when he noticed that something was in her left hand. He loosened her fingers to find the doctor's letter within.

"What is this, love?"

"I can do this. All that I have to do is rip up this letter in front of the doctor and I will be well again."

"Moonlight, you can't be serious. It doesn't work like that. He can't make you well again."

Valancy came closer to him. She placed a soft yet shaking hand against his face.

"No, he can't Mr. Redfern, but you can."

The sound of a squirrel scurrying up the other side of the tree trunk awoke Barney with a start. He should've known that he was deep in a dream, the open use of terms of endearment for her that he had felt yet never were allowed to be said before. They preferred tea and rarely drank coffee. Most of all, that name she gave to him when pleading for his help.

He walked on further, knowing that the dream was correct. Something had to be done, right now, even though it would mean changing everything about their lives as she has known it. If it took seeing every physician in the world who was an expert on cardiac conditions, every effort must be made to attempt to save her life and his own together. He could give her his family's fortune, he could give her his writing, he could give her his passion, he could give her an intense loving devotion. First, he must give her the truth.


	3. The Letter

Barney had hoped to return home before nightfall. It was already settling in as he paddled the canoe out to their island. Something wasn't right. The cabin was dark, no fires lit. Everything was still as though time had stopped. Even the surface of the lake water was an eerie calm. He leapt from the boat and made his way to the house. The door was locked. She was gone. He used his key and lit a lamp to look for any clues as to where his wife had gone. Nothing was out of place, all of her dresses still hung in the bedroom cabinet, her beloved books on the living room shelf. Had she been spirited away by a family member as they had always threaten to do so? Had she gone looking for him in the woods? This thought stopped him cold, to think of her being out there alone. He had to decide whether to go out looking for Valancy or wait for her here. He needed to think his next actions through.

He went out into the lean to. In his restlessness, he had paced a few times before the glimmer of something familiar caught his eye. On his writing desk, Valancy's string of pearls that he had brought back from Montreal for Christmas. She was in here! Why had she left her gift behind, he wondered. He took up the necklace and ran it gently through his fingers before he saw the letter. With haste, he tore it open and read.

Dear Barney —

I went to Dr. Trent this morning and found out he had sent me the wrong letter by mistake. There never was anything serious the matter with my heart and I am quite well now.

I did not mean to trick you. Please believe that. I could not bear it if you did not believe that. I am very sorry for the mistake. But surely you can get a divorce if I leave you. Is desertion a ground for divorce in Canada? Of course if there is anything I can do to help or hasten it I will do it gladly, if your lawyer will let me know.

I thank you for all your kindness to me. I shall never forget it. Think as kindly of me as you can, because I did not mean to trap you. Good-bye.

Yours gratefully,

Valancy.

 _p.s._ — Your father was here today. He is coming back tomorrow. He told me everything. I think you should go back to him. He is very lonely for you.

The letter was like being shocked by Lady Grey's engine battery several times over. Barney could not believe what he was reading. Was it true? Dr. Trent had been wrong all this time. She was healthy! Her heart was strong. She will live! Barney leapt and shouted, he went quite delirious for the thrill of knowing that his dearest love will live on. This lasted for a while before he came back down from this ethereal state.

He read the letter again to be sure that this wasn't a dream. Her words were perplexing. Their bond was so strong now that she couldn't deceive him, he knew that everything that she had said was true to her knowledge. Divorce! How could that even be suggested? Why would she even think of separation after all that they had been through together? He sat on a small reading couch under the only small window in the room. Did she want to leave now that she had been given this revelation? To reenter Deerwood society as a woman no longer married to a backwoods fellow with a tarnished reputation or an heir to a fortune that was made by a chemist who happened to be more of a good salesman then a medical doctor?

So his father had found him at last? To be sure, he would tell Valancy who her husband really was after all. When his father got to talking, there was no end to what he might have said. No wonder she was having second thoughts about their future. Barney laughed a bitter laugh at the thought of their meeting. Her pearls were still held tight in his clasp. He thought about the dream where Valancy had discovered that he was Jack Foster, was it a foreshadowing of what was to come when he could see her again? Oh, if morning would finally chase away this dreadful night so that he could reach her right away. The severe emotional highs and lows would allow for no rest tonight.

As soon as dawn colored the sky in an amber glow, Barney was eager to go out and find his bride. He knew that his father would arrive as promised and he had to wait a while longer. The morning fog had not yet lifted before a persistent horn sounded across the lake waters. Barney was back in the cabin although he had not slept at all. He checked the hot tea on the stove and took a deep breath before stepping outside to wave to his father at the lake shore.

Old Doc Redfern had aged some in the years that have passed. His haggard features became more evident as Barney approached with the paddle boat. His old man had a cheery grin and an expression of pure delight. Barney was relieved to see that there was no ill will about his sudden abandonment so many years ago. The father gave his son a bear hug that could smother a goose on any given Sunday.

"My Boy, my boy, it is really you?"

Doc Redfern's eyes teared-up with joy. Barney's emotional highs and lows of the past day had left him too numb to respond in the same way.

"Father, at last you have found me at this hideaway in the hills."

"In the hills, Son? This is a fine lake, fine lake indeed for fishing I would say."

"Well, yes. Come over to our house and we can talk there."

"Might your little lady mind? I wouldn't want to interfere on breakfast time."

"She's not at home now."

Doc Redfern's laughter echoed across the water.

"An early riser just like you, my boy."

"Your driver, he is welcome too."

The driver did join them. They returned in the motor boat that Valancy had left at the roadside landing. When they reached the island, the driver walked around exploring it allowing the father and son to catch-up over tea and biscuits.

"That was quite a journey to get to this place. How is it that you come to make a home here when you could have..."

"Contentment, that's what I want and it is all right here. How did you find me?"

Doc Redfern wiped his brow with a folded handkerchief.

"Well, after several years went by without a word or even knowing if you were still in the world, I was contacted by a friend who worked for the Aynsley's Jewelers, she said that you had made a purchase and the jeweler had taken down the address. Naturally, I had to wait until the weather broke from winter to come all the way out here to see you."

"Father, I am sorry for the way I left with no explanation. The society life was stifling..."

"I know, it ought to be easy being a rich man's son yet since you had left, I paid more attention to what high society expectations and civilities are like. It was never the right kind of life for you. I want you to be happy wherever you may roam to. Does being here make you happy?"

"Yes, very much so. Up back in these woods, the people are pleasant and good company even though we all keep to our own business. I have a good friend in town, his name is Roaring Able."

"Roaring ya say? What a name!"

"He's has traveled a lot like I have so we never run out of things to talk about."

Doc Redfern's expression changed to a more serious tone.

"Bernard, where did you go all those years? I couldn't get a letter, not even a postcard. I have missed you...a lot. Everything I did was to build a good life for you and you weren't there or anywhere for so long, Son."

Barney fiddled with a spoon on the table.

"It was time to go my own way. There were so many places that I wanted to see, experiences that I needed to learn from..."

"I could have provided for you a way..."

"No, I needed to earn those experiences and the life that I have here now. Just like you earned your living with mother when times were hard. That's what made you strong enough to get through the tough times and it's made you who you are now, right?"

"Ah yes, well you're right about that. The years after losing your mother were the most difficult. She was a good wife, I wish that you could have grown-up more under her guidance."

"I know. Father...even though I have not been proud in the past of the pills and the bitters that have made your fortune, it is an honor to be your son."

Doc Redern got up to give his prodigal child another bear hug.

"Bernie, I wish that you lived near to me now. I have this big beautiful manner and it's only myself and the servants. I would give you and your wife your own wing of the house to do with it as you please. I want to be in the company of family again." Doc Redern chuckled just thinking about it. "When you had become engaged to the loveliest society beauty, I had aspirations of giving the entire house to you and Miss...Mrs. Ethel and your children someday."

"I appreciate that although you know that it never suited me well."

"Yes, I suppose and now you've gone and found for yourself the sweetest little spirit of a wife. True, she is not the vision of beauty and elegance that I had imagined for your bride although I like her all the same. Her eyes can speak without her using any words, you know?"

"Yes, I certainly do." Barney recalled a cherished memory of her looking over her shoulder at him.

"Her laughter is a pleasant sound too."

"You got her to laugh?"

Now Barney was intrigued about what they had talked about yesterday afternoon, he longed to get to her very soon to take a hold of her and know her thoughts now.

"How did the two of you meet?"

Barney sighed.

"My friend, Roaring Abel...his daughter Cissy was very ill. Valancy came to look after her and care for her. That is how we met. Sometimes, I would offer to give her a break from being at the house and take her out to town with me. We had some good times then."

"I can see that in your eyes as you talk about her, Son. She has made a difference on you, maybe even more so than the travels you've made to lord knows where on this earth."

"She means a lot to me, Father. You have no idea what we have been through together this past year."

"Then both of you come and visit me and tell me all about it."

"I have to go and get her...right now."

Old Doc Redfern laughed,

"To be young and in love is a precious gift. My driver and I shall leave now. We're staying at the large inn at Port Lawrence. Will you and your Valancy join me for dinner tonight? I can come back out here by car at 6:00."

"I hope that we can, Father."

Barney took his father and the driver back to shore. He embraced his father yet made no promises to come out to dinner that evening for he did not know if he could find Valancy or give her enough time to process all that he had to say to her.


	4. Revelation to Reunion

_Most of this chapter belongs to the original writing credit of L.M. Montgomery, in order to tell Barney's side of the story all the way through, it had to be derived from the actual novel. I have only respectfully added his possible perspective and thoughts during the scene. No profit is gained from this version of the original story, it is only intended to be a shared writing exercise._

He fired up Lady Grey. The classic old engine roared its way through the upback woods leaving a trail of dust. Barney only saw straight ahead as he passed curious onlookers in autos and those walking by the road on the way to Deerwood. He did not know exactly which way to go, Roaring Abel's house, her mother's home, the town's only hotel? He followed his instincts that were now centered on their bond to know where to find Valancy. His car rattled up to the steps in front of Mrs. Stirling's home. He covered two steps at a time until he was at the door. With his heart racing to get to her, he hit the doorbell demanding entrance.

Valancy's Uncle Benjamin answered the door. Barney did not know and he did care how he was going to be received by the man.

"Is my wife here?" Barney found his voice to make a command.

Uncle Benjamin grinned with smug amusement.

"Mr. Redfern, I believe? Very glad to meet you, sir. Yes, that naughty little girl of yours is here. We have been-"

"I must see her," Barney cut Uncle Benjamin ruthlessly short.

"Certainly, Mr. Redfern. Just step in here. Valancy will be down in a minute."

Barney followed into the cramped parlor that was full of worn furniture. He summoned a calm nature from within as Uncle Benjamin went into the next room. Barney felt pure energy rushing through his body as he waited for the only one in the world that he wanted to see right now. He needed to gather his thoughts, his emotions, anxiety and passion before she was here.

He knew the sound of her footsteps, the way that she walked. Soon, nothing would separate the space between them. At the sight of her, Barney lost all composure and took her up in his arms before he realized that he had crossed the room.

"Valancy, darling-oh, you darling little idiot! Whatever possessed you to run away like that? When I came home last night and found your letter I went quite mad. It was twelve o'clock-I knew it was too late to come here then. I walked the floor all night. Then this morning Dad came-I couldn't get away till now. Valancy, whatever got into you? Divorce, forsooth! Don't you know-" He held her face in his hands, his fingers caressed the shape of her cheek and searched back to her ear lobe.

"I know you only married me out of pity," She pushed against him. "I know you don't love me-I know-" The light was missing from her eyes now.

"You've been lying awake at three o'clock too long," Barney took hold of her shoulders. "That's all that's the matter with you. Love you! Oh, don't I love you! My girl, when I saw that train coming down on you I knew whether I loved you or not!"

"Oh, I was afraid you would try to make me think you cared," She was crying. "Don't-don't! I know all about Ethel Traverse-your father told me everything. Oh, Barney, don't torture me! I can never go back to you!"

Barney released her and looked at her for a moment. Something in her pallid, resolute face spoke more convincingly than words of her determination.

"Valancy," he said quietly, "Father couldn't have told you everything because he didn't know it. Will you let me tell you-everything?" He had to make her understand.

"Yes."

She was tired. So neither of them had slept while they were apart. He gently moved her to sit in a chair. She was strong considering all the surprises that her dear heart had endured since yesterday. If only she would raise her head to look into his eyes.

"You've seen Dad and you know I'm Bernard Redfern. And I suppose you've guessed that I'm John Foster-since you went into Bluebeard's Chamber."

"Yes. But I didn't go in out of curiosity. I forgot you had told me not to go in-I forgot-"

Barney smiled in amusement.

"Never mind. I'm not going to kill you and hang you up on the wall, so there's no need to call for Sister Anne. I'm only going to tell you my story from the beginning. I came back last night intending to do it." He took a deep breath. "Yes, I'm 'old Doc. Redfern's son'-of Purple Pills and Bitters fame. Oh, don't I know it? Wasn't it rubbed into me for years?"

Barney laughed bitterly. He paced the little parlor while deep in memories of the past.

"Yes. As long as I can remember I've been a millionaire's son. But when I was born Dad wasn't a millionaire. He wasn't even a doctor-isn't yet. He was a veterinary and a failure at it. He and Mother lived in a little village up in Quebec and were abominably poor. I don't remember Mother. Haven't even a picture of her. She died when I was two years old. She was fifteen years younger than Father-a little school teacher. When she died Dad moved into Montreal and formed a company to sell his hair tonic. He'd dreamed the prescription one night, it seems. Well, it caught on. Money began to flow in. Dad invented-or dreamed-the other things, too-Pills, Bitters, Liniment and so on. He was a millionaire by the time I was ten, with a house so big a small chap like myself always felt lost in it. I had every toy a boy could wish for-and I was the loneliest little devil in the world. I remember only one happy day in my childhood, Valancy. Only one. Even you were better off than that. Dad had gone out to see an old friend in the country and took me along. I was turned loose in the barnyard and I spent the whole day hammering nails in a block of wood. I had a glorious day. When I had to go back to my roomful of playthings in the big house in Montreal I cried. But I didn't tell Dad why. I never told him anything. It's always been a hard thing for me to tell things..."

Barney turned from the window to look at his love. She was watching him with rapt curiosity now. Those green eyes had yet to regain the sparkle that he adored.

"Valancy-anything that went deep. And most things went deep with me."

Valancy moved forward in her seat. He hoped that she understood what he meant.

"I was a sensitive child and I was even more sensitive as a boy. No one ever knew what I suffered. Dad never dreamed of it. When he sent me to a private school-I was only eleven-the boys ducked me in the swimming-tank until I stood on a table and read aloud all the advertisements of Father's patent abominations. I did it-then"-Barney clinched his fists-"I was frightened and half drowned and all my world was against me. But when I went to college and the sophs tried the same stunt I didn't do it." Barney smiled grimly. "They couldn't make me do it. But they could-and did-make my life miserable. I never heard the last of the Pills and the Bitters and the Hair Tonic. 'After using' was my nickname-you see I'd always such a thick thatch. My four college years were a nightmare. You know-or you don't know-what merciless beasts boys can be when they get a victim like me. I had few friends-there was always some barrier between me and the kind of people I cared for. And the other kind-who would have been very willing to be intimate with rich old Doc. Redfern's son-I didn't care for."

Barney took up a chair that was facing Valancy. They were sitting so close that their knees almost touched.

"But I had one friend-or thought I had. A clever, bookish chap-a bit of a writer. That was a bond between us-I had some secret aspirations along that line. He was older than I was-I looked up to him and worshipped him. For a year I was happier than I'd ever been. Then-a burlesque sketch came out in the college magazine-a mordant thing, ridiculing Dad's remedies. The names were changed, of course, but everybody knew what and who was meant. Oh, it was clever-damnably so-and witty. McGill rocked with laughter over it. I found out he had written it."

"Oh, were you sure?" Valancy's eyes showed a spark in them as she took his hands in her little ones. The touch was soothing for him as he continued his life's story.

"Yes. He admitted it when I asked him. Said a good idea was worth more to him than a friend, any time. And he added a gratuitous thrust. 'You know, Redfern, there are some things money won't buy. For instance-it won't buy you a grandfather.' Well, it was a nasty slam. I was young enough to feel cut up. And it destroyed a lot of my ideals and illusions, which was the worst thing about it. I was a young misanthrope after that. Didn't want to be friends with any one. And then-the year after I left college-I met Ethel Traverse."

Valancy let go of his hands. Barney, didn't realize it as he stood up and placed them in his pockets then stared at the floor.

"Dad told you about her, I suppose. She was very beautiful. And I loved her. Oh, yes, I loved her. I won't deny it or belittle it now. It was a lonely, romantic boy's first passionate love, and it was very real. And I thought she loved me. I was fool enough to think that. I was wildly happy when she promised to marry me. For a few months. Then-I found out she didn't. I was an involuntary eavesdropper on a certain occasion for a moment. That moment was enough. The proverbial fate of the eavesdropper overtook me. A girl friend of hers was asking her how she could stomach Doc. Redfern's son and the patent-medicine background.

"His money will gild the Pills and sweeten the Bitters,' said Ethel, with a laugh. 'Mother told me to catch him if I could. We're on the rocks. But pah! I smell turpentine whenever he comes near me.'"

"Well,"-Barney started pacing round the room-"that finished me. Completely. I left civilization and those accursed dopes behind me and went to the Yukon. For five years I knocked about the world-in all sorts of outlandish places. I earned enough to live on-I wouldn't touch a cent of Dad's money. Then one day I woke up to the fact that I no longer cared a hang about Ethel, one way or another. She was somebody I'd known in another world-that was all. But I had no hankering to go back to the old life. None of that for me. I was free and I meant to keep so."

Barney paused. He remembered the release of everything that he had known as he set out on his own in search of adventure, of freedom, knowledge and true love. That experience gave him hope now.

"I came to Mistawis-saw Tom MacMurray's island. My first book had been published the year before, and made a hit-I had a bit of money from my royalties. I bought my island. But I kept away from people. I had no faith in anybody. I didn't believe there was such a thing as real friendship or true love in the world-not for me, anyhow-the son of Purple Pills. I used to revel in all the wild yarns they told of me. In fact, I'm afraid I suggested a few of them myself. By mysterious remarks which people interpreted in the light of their own prepossessions. Then-"

Barney returned to his chair facing Valancy. This time, he took her hands in his.

"-you came. I had to believe you loved me-really loved me-not my father's millions. There was no other reason why you should want to marry a penniless devil with my supposed record. And I was sorry for you. Oh, yes, I don't deny I married you because I was sorry for you."

He thought about the fun times when they were becoming good friends. It's true, she seemed ordinary and small until her endearing charms revealed her real nature to him in time. He did not see her as a possible girl to fall in love with yet he held her in the highest regard for all that she did for Cissy and Roaring Abel and even himself.

"And then-I found you the best and jolliest and dearest little pal and chum a fellow ever had. Witty-loyal-sweet. You made me believe again in the reality of friendship and love. The world seemed good again just because you were in it, honey. I'd have been willing to go on forever just as we were. I knew that, the night I came home and saw my home light shining out from the island for the first time."

Barney placed a light touch against Valancy's cheek and smoothed the fringe of her hair before returning to her hand. He could see how that touch was affecting her now. Her breathing seemed unsteady, so was his.

"And knew you were there waiting for me. After being homeless all my life it was beautiful to have a home. To come home hungry at night and know there was a good supper and a cheery fire-and you."

His eyes were locked on in hers gauging for her reaction.

"But I didn't realize what you actually meant to me till that moment at the switch. Then it came like a lightning flash. I knew I couldn't live without you-that if I couldn't pull you loose in time I'd have to die with you. I admit it bowled me over-knocked me silly. I couldn't get my bearings for a while. That's why I acted like a mule. But the thought that drove me to the tall timber was the awful one that you were going to die. I'd always hated the thought of it-but I supposed there wasn't any chance for you, so I put it out of my mind. Now I had to face it-you were under sentence of death and I couldn't live without you. When I came home last night I had made up my mind that I'd take you to all the specialists in the world-that something surely could be done for you. I felt sure you couldn't be as bad as Dr. Trent thought, when those moments on the track hadn't even hurt you. And I found your note-and went mad with happiness-and a little terror for fear you didn't care much for me, after all, and had gone away to get rid of me. But now, it's all right, isn't it, darling?"

Valancy closed her eyes. Her hands tightened within his hold.

"I can't believe you care for me," she said helplessly. "I know you can't. What's the use, Barney? Of course, you're sorry for me-of course you want to do the best you can to straighten out the mess. But it can't be straightened out that way. You couldn't love me-me."

She stood up and pointed to the mirror over the mantel. Barney looked at her in search of the beautiful spirit within that he adored. Where had she gone since two days ago? The thoughts that must have occurred to her over their night apart. Has it given her cause to reconsider their relationship? He raised too and held her face with both hands to see into her eyes.

"Love you! Girl, you're in the very core of my heart. I hold you there like a jewel. Didn't I promise you I'd never tell you a lie? Love you! I love you with all there is of me to love. Heart, soul, brain. Every fibre of body and spirit thrilling to the sweetness of you. There's nobody in the world for me but you, Valancy."

"You're-a good actor, Barney," said Valancy, her expression dry.

Barney looked at her. His hands went weak upon her shoulders.

"So you don't believe me-yet?" His voice took a hard tone.

"I-can't."

"Oh-damn!"

Barney felt an exhausted fury. At least he had her complete attention now. He walked to the other side of the room.

"You don't want to believe it," said Barney in the silky-smooth voice of anguished rage. "You're tired of me. You want to get out of it-free from me. You're ashamed of the Pills and the Liniment, just as she was. Your Stirling pride can't stomach them. It was all right as long as you thought you hadn't long to live. A good lark-you could put up with me. But a lifetime with old Doc Redfern's son is a different thing. Oh, I understand-perfectly. I've been very dense-but I understand, at last."

Valancy looked alarmed. She placed a hand over her mouth. Then-he saw the light return to her eyes. She suddenly laughed.

"You darling!" she said. "You do mean it! You do really love me! You wouldn't be so enraged if you didn't." She spoke with an elated giggle.

There's my girl, he thought. Was she crying with happiness? He covered the length of the floor instantly, then caught her in his arms, laughing with joy.

They embraced as if to make themselves one in this world. Valancy matched her breathing in sync with his. He could feel her breath against his neck then she kissed along his jaw line. She leaned into him as he moved his hand up her back and into her hair. With his other hand, he lifted her chin and took her into a kiss unlike any other that they had shared before. It was searching, claiming and uniting their very being. She knew how to react to his lead. They were inseparable in every way now.

After an unmeasurable moment, they parted for air.

"But, Barney," Valancy thought, "your father-somehow-gave me to understand that you still loved her."

"He would. Dad holds the championship for making blunders. If there's a thing that's better left unsaid you can trust him to say it. But he isn't a bad old soul, Valancy. You'll like him."

"I do, now."

They laughed. He kissed her forehead.

"And his money isn't tainted money. He made it honestly. His medicines are quite harmless. Even his Purple Pills do people whole heaps of good when they believe in them."

"But-I'm not fit for your life," sighed Valancy. "I'm not-clever-or well-educated-or-"

She tried to step back. He moved in closer.

"My life is in Mistawis-and all the wild places of the world. I'm not going to ask you to live the life of a society woman. Of course, we must spend a bit of the time with Dad-he's lonely and old-"

"But not in that big house of his," Valancy pleaded. "I can't live in a palace."

She interlaced her fingers in his.

"Can't come down to that after your Blue Castle," grinned Barney. "Don't worry, sweet. I couldn't live in that house myself. It has a white marble stairway with gilt bannisters and looks like a furniture shop with the labels off. Likewise it's the pride of Dad's heart. We'll get a little house somewhere outside of Montreal-in the real country-near enough to see Dad often. I think we'll build one for ourselves. A house you build for yourself is so much nicer than a hand-me-down. But we'll spend our summers in Mistawis. And our autumns traveling. I want you to see the Alhambra-it's the nearest thing to the Blue Castle of your dreams I can think of. And there's an old-world garden in Italy where I want to show you the moon rising over Rome through the dark cypress-trees."

"Will that be any lovelier than the moon rising over Mistawis?"

"Not lovelier. But a different kind of loveliness. There are so many kinds of loveliness. Valancy, before this year you've spent all your life in ugliness. You know nothing of the beauty of the world. We'll climb mountains-hunt for treasures in the bazaars of Samarcand-search out the magic of east and west-run hand in hand to the rim of the world. I want to show you it all-see it again through your eyes. Girl, there are a million things I want to show you-do with you-say to you. It will take a lifetime. And we must see about that picture by Tierney, after all."

"Will you promise me one thing?" Valancy asked.

"Anything," Barney answered without a care.

"Only one thing. You are never, under any circumstances or under any provocation, to cast it up to me that I asked you to marry me."

He laughed.

"My love, you should know by now that I will do whatever you ask me to, even that."

"I will love you with devotion forever Barney Snaith-" Valancy kissed his fingers that were wrapped up with her own "John Foster-" she kissed his cheek "Bernard Redfern" she touched his lips with her free hand.

Barney was left wordless as he moved his lips beneath her touch and reveled in their sweet contentment together.


End file.
